TORONTO NEIGHBOURHOODS - CLIFFSIDE

April 14, 2015 - Updated: April 14, 2015

Cliffside is an established, family oriented neighbourhood located along Toronto's eastern beaches, next to the majestic Scarborough Bluffs. Cliffside has many fine attributes including an appealing mix of older style houses, well treed streets, a vibrant shopping district located along Kingston Road and beautiful waterfront parks.

The major landmark in this neighbourhood is the St. Augustine Seminary whose soaring dome can easily be seen looking south towards the lake from Kingston Road. The St. Augustine Seminary has been training Roman Catholic priests since 1910.

Cliffside was formerly known as Mortlake, in reference to an English hamlet outside London. The Mortlake name came into use with the opening of a post office in the Halfway House Hotel, which was situated on Kingston Road. This hotel was moved in 1962, and now assumes a prominent role in Toronto's historic Black Creek Pioneer Village, located at 1000 Murray Ross Parkway.

An enduring Cliffside landmark is the St. Augustine Seminary, which opened in 1910. St. Augustine was the first Canadian seminary for the training of English speaking clergy. This large edifice, with its Beaux Arts style architecture and soaring dome, is a powerful visual landmark on Kingston Road.

In the early 1900's, the land west of the St. Augustine Seminary began to evolve as a summer cottage community. The first year round residences were built in the 1920's at the south end of Chine Drive. These charming Arts and Crafts style houses set the tone for the present day neighbourhood.